Reviews

Went there a little while ago with a friend who kept raving about this place. Yea its the smallest restaurant I've ever seen so we waited a bit. I was expecting some great food, but what I got only seemed so so. It also seemed like we got a little attitude from the head biatch.

I dont remeber it being great so i wouldnt recommend it.
Overally pretty disappointing. Maybe average. Didnt seem worth it.

went to rosa's once before, and had to wait outside, but recently this friday night waited ouside for almost an hour till our group of six were getting numb from the cold. Was the wait worth it? well .... I ordered the veal chops with vegitables, the waitress didn't bother to ask me how I wanted it done so I guess I shouldn't be surprized when it came, a grey over cooked sorry piece of veal, the vegitables were not inspiring either... no flavor, nothing to say this was italian. I am first generation italian and I know what moma's is like and this was not it. The waitress really needs to get a personality, because the service was unatentive and unintrested. But still people line up.. amazing! also amazing is if any of the peoples pictures on the wall acually ate there hmmm. the only good thing about the night was my wine selection, a nice chianti.

I've read all of the reviews listed here for Rosa's, and I felt like I had to chime in. I'm not sure how many times I've been to Rosa's, but it's quite a few as it seems to be my family's favorite restaurant.

While I enjoy the food, it's not my favorite place to go. Yet every birthday, or family dinner out, we always go to Rosa's. I suppose my family would be regulars, Rosa knows them by name. I wouldn't say we get very much special attention though. Still can't make a reservation, still end up waiting outside for god knows how long if it's busy. Last time we went was a sunday, and we arrived very early to make sure we didn't have to wait. We were there for 4 hours! Service is TERRIBLY slow. Have to ask for drink refills. Waited forever for our food. We were lucky this time, and our waitress was actually pretty good. As for Rosa, I find her rude. It's exactly like the Seinfeld's soup nazi! Don't ask questions, and speak up! I've had her roll her eyes at me over my choices, and scoff at any questions I've asked. I think she saves all of her charm for her most favorite customers, or maybe when they're not busy at all!

The food itself is great! Huge portions, always have a lot of left overs. The restaurant is tiny, just a small room with celebrity photos on the walls, and a bunch of tables crammed together. Not my kind of atmosphere. The food is absolutely the only thing that makes this place bearable. No way would I drive all the way out there for crappy service if it wasn't my family's most favorite place. Nick's Spaghetti House is way better, go there!

We have dined here on four or five different occasions over the last few years. If you can get there before 6:00 pm and you don't have more than four people in your party, your chances of getting seated and served promtly improves greatly. Any later than that on a Friday or Saturday night and you will be faced with a lengthy wait outside in the elements.

If you are recognized as one of their regulars you might be greeted with a smile and treated with the respect that any paying customer would expect. Other than that you will be treated like the bad son who has shown up unannounced with a couple of undesireable friends looking to mooch a meal off "Mom." Enough said about the service.

The food has always been the thing that keeps us coming backto this establishment. The fresh bread with a caesar salad is always a good start. All of the main courses that we have tried have been great.

Have tried to order take out when I have't felt up to the wait or the indifferent service and was told that they were too busy to bother with it that evening. Found a more accomodating retaurant that night.

9 of dined here on a Wednesday evening. Wait time was about 30 minutes. The food was incredible, the mussels were outstanding, probably the plumpest mussels I have ever had and so juicy. The veal was mouthwatering and the pasta was perfect. It was a little warm, they have a small air conditioner but the front door was always open. The restaurant was tiny and packed with people, all seemingly enjoying it. Service is very slow but also very attentive. Would definately return. Had enough leftovers for lunch the next day!

My wife and I have eaten at Rosa's a couple of times in the past and still occasionally order take outs. We find the food quality reasonable but it's nothing to rave about.

The service we've experienced has been anywhere from begrudging to appalling and is the reason we no longer eat there. I've eaten at many good restaurants at home and abroad and remain baffled at the bizarre attitude that the staff (and owner) have towards customers. At least with a take-out you don't have to put up with the service :)

Rosa and her restaurant are absolutely perfect in every way. I will not eat anywhere else when wanting good Italian food/pasta. It is perfect every time!
For those people who wrote that Rosa is grumpy remember that when you smile at someone they always smile back! I think Rosa and her staff do an exceptional job of managing the crowds of people they receive on a daily basis in such a small setting. When I dine out I don't want to rush through my meal in half an hour and I actually enjoy the time between courses. My husband and I dined there last night and we ordered wine and salad to start and then ordered our dinner. Rosa did not mind at all and actually suggested we do that.
This restaurant is the best in Port Moody as well as beating out some of the other higher end Coquitlam Restaurants.

Roas's is like sitting in your Nona's kitchen......you feel like family as soon as you walk into her quaint little jem of a restaurant!
And what is mistaken by some people as rudeness, is just their way of treating you just like they would treat any one of their family members. Rosa definitely plays it straight, says it how it is, but it is all done with a touch of underlying Love. ( Which happens to be the special ingredient that Rosa's mother puts into every dish that comes out of that little kitchen!) The food is to die for! Homemade italian cooking at its best! I would absolutely recommend Rosa's to anyone either already living here or anyone visiting Vancouver.

when I go out o dine I go out to relax and enjoy myself not be abused by everyone from the servers to the owner!(by the way it amazes me that she is still in business)
why do you have to anounce that you have a gift cert. before you order? are the portions different for gift certs? are they not the same as cash?? apparently NOT AT ROSA'S
What restaurant owner do you know that yells at customers with a gift cert (with no expiery date on it) and tells them it unexceptable ? what's unexceptable is Rosa and her crew of grumpy rude servers and mediocre food.
Avoid the high blood pressure and go somewhere else!!

Food is good altogether, big portions, but quite average italian dinning. The servers are not very friendly, a bunch of old ladies.
Not worth lining up for it! and they don't even take reservations, so you will end up lining up in the cold and rain!!

i have been to rosa's over 30 times already and the food is always great. As its a family run buisness with a very family focused atmosphere it always feel welcomeing. Because of the family atmosphere i don't expect mcdonalds fast service if i wanted mcdonalds i would go there. the fact that there is a lineup there every night speaks for itself the food is homemade as i have been in the kitchen and seen it prepared myself. as for the prices for the portion size and the quality of the food makes it worth the money. i tell everyone who asks me where is good italian to go to rosa's. i know a lot of people get angry about the fact that rosa will make you wait outside instead of standing at the door but it is a very small restaurant and no one wants someone staring over their shoulder while they are eating. Rosa's is amazing and i will continue going as long as she is open and think everyone should give it a try!!!

This place offers a cozy at home atmosphere. It is casual and classy at the same time. Its like bringing the family to visit grandma. You don't need to dress your best, but at the same time, you gotta be on your best behaviour.

Considering the affordable $12-$18 for a well portioned pasta entree, the food is great. Other than pasta, they have some simple salad's, steak, and grilled chicken entrees. Bread is served with your meal.

The service here is hit or miss. It all depends on you, the customer. You have to let the staff serve you and not tread on their operational territory. They have a set routine of doing things and the customer is expected to know their place. Don't start moving around until you are escorted. Don't mumble when you are asked a question. Make eye contact. Always be on good behavior! Otherwise, you won't last long there before the service turns southward and you start asking yourself why you bothered to try this "over hyped" restaurant out. Like I said, this is grandma's house so you better stomp your feet before entering and not sit on the living room couch unless you are invited to =)

If you are going to go try this place out ... treat it like a special night out. Order the full 3 course meal with the wine! Share a salad, order entrees, order dessert, and definately order a drink. I did notice the staff's change of "heart" when you start taking advantage of the well priced goodies they offer. This isn't good business practice, but hey ... they only have limited seating and for now, this place is busy!!! Expect 30 minute waits!

I suspect Rosa's does catering in the day time to movie studios, sports training facilities, etc etc. They are well networked and have on display numorous celebrity photos dedicated to Rosa. "The last time I had this much fun, was in my last movie" - Ron Jeremy.

After hearing all the buzz about Rosa's, my girlfriend and I decided to check out the place. What a mistake that was.
This was truly (without exaggeration) THE WORST dining experience in my life. Aside from extremely slow service, the food was below average. We ordered spaghetti & meat balls, and spaghetti vongole which were made with store-bought sauces and canned clams. Furtheremore, the pasta was linguini, NOT spaghetti. These guys are supposed to be Italians?? Why are people lining up for terrible service and pile of starch?? I just do not understand. DO NOT DINE HERE.

We heard from our neighbours that the food in this place was great, so on our 20th anniversary I took my husband late Friday night. The place was packed but we found an empty table by the door. Rosa came over right away and asked us what we wanted to drink. We are recovering alcoholics so alcohol was out of the question same with anything with Caffeine as it was late at night, so we ordered two glasses of water. Rosa's attittude changed completelly and made us feel cheap.
We ordered the shrimp fettucini and chicken fettucini, my husband asked her not to add Parmesan cheese to his dish. Rosa snapped that they do not add it on their dishes.
The food was so great, we decided to order two dishes for our son and daughter. After Rosa came to pick up our signed visa bill, my husband asked Rosa for a small container of Parmesan as my kids love the stuff. Rosa snapped that they have added it to the dish already. When we got home there was no Parmasen added.
The food was great but I will never go back with that kind of service.

I had a good dinner about a few months ago, the quality of the food is good. The mussels were cooked to perfect in a yummy tomato sauce. Since it was so good, I took my sister there again, drove a long way from Vancouver. It was a disappointing meal. The food was just okay and the service was bad. I know they don't take reservations and we may have to wait. We waited for 40 min in the cold and nobody cares. The hostess looked very impatient and stressed.

A friend took me there for my birthday. This is a tiny restaurant hidden behind Barnet Hwy on Clarke. Best kept secret! When we got there there was a small line-up (it was Thursday, so what a surprise) But definitely worth the wait. We ordered the mussels (not in the menu but it was a special)... WOW!! It was sooo good and the portion is huge! We also ordered a plate of pasta with shrimp & scallops. They weren't scimpy on the seafood or the sauce, and the pasta was cooked perfectly - not too soft (I'm quite picky about my pasta) - again, huge portion. Service was excellent although the food took a while to come out (they happen to be 1 cook short that day), but they made it up by keeping the bread coming and beverages topped up. Overall it was an excellent experience and I will definitely go back again.

We tried Rosa's in Port Moody last night on the recommendation of a friend. It is located on Clarke Street in Port Moody. If you are not a local, take note: apparently (to my chagrin) tinly little Port Moody has Clarke Drive, Clarke Road and Clarke Street. Once I found it though, it was all uphill. Delicious food. It was Italian home cooking at its finest. We arrived at 7:00 and waited in line outside for about 20 minutes. There is no awning, so I am glad it wasn't raining. There was a lineup all evening long but never appeared to be a horribly long wait, and it was a Saturday ninght.

Rosa herself works out front. Service was slow, as apparently the servers can only do one thing at a time.... They take a drink order at one table, go get the drinks, deliver them and then take the order of the next table. However, if you are not rushed, who cares?

I started with a glass of the house red wine. Very nice. I did not, uncharacteristically, ask what it was before I ordered and I did not look at the wine menu, but every table other than ours had a bottle of wine on it and every bottle appeared to have the same label. It must be the house red, but usually those come in carafes. Who knows??? It is popular whatever it is.

For dinner we started by sharing a large Caesar salad ($10.75). It was OK, but I prefer the non-creamy Caesar dressing. The table next to ours had an outstanding looking tomato and bocconcini salad with capers, red onions and balsamic vinegar that I will ask for next time. For the main course I had chicken piccata ($18.95) (Itr was hot, fresh and absolutely wonderful. I had pasta with tomato sauce on the side. Also lovely and perfectly al dente. Hubby had linguini carbonara ($14.25?). Mmmmm. Again, observing the neighbors he says he will try the Alfredo next time as it looked and smelled divine as well.

Rosa is a bit of a curmudgeon. She told me I couldn't have dessert because I did not finish my dinner. She had a stern face about it but softened instantly when I told her it was soooo delicious but that the reputation of her Tiramisu preceded itself and that I absolutely had to have it or the rest of my meal would be devoured (which was likely true, as I was ravenous).

The portions are large. I had two chicken breasts (I guess one whole breast includes the two halves but I always expect only one half and consider it a whole breast). I would normally characterize the amount of last night's dinner to be two meals, but that is great.

I splurged on sugar and had the Tiramisu, which was second to none compared to ones I have had in a restaurant.

I recommend it as a place to go to relax with a few people over a lovely, unpretentious but very delicious dinner with a bottle of red wine. Just don't go if you are in a hurry or want to be pampered by attentive wait staff. That ain't happenin! Enjoy.

Rosa's is a little italian restaurant tucked away in Port Moody. The restaurant itself is small and there was a line up when we arrived at 7:30. We waited outside the restaurant for 30 minutes.

When we finally got inside and were seated, it took us a long time to get a hold of the waitress and order. Rosa came by with a basket of bread, but didn't bother to stop to take our order. 20 minutes later the only other waitress in the place finally took our order. She wasn't friendly and didn't even crack a smile.

The wine arrived very quickly and the food followed shortly after. The food was definitely worth the wait! My canneloni and my friend's linguine riviera were both delicious. The house wine was also fantastic!

The waitress came by later to package our food up (we had lots left over as the portions were HUGE) and was much friendlier. She actually smiled and even joked around with us. Maybe she was stressed out because the restaurant was so busy earlier? Who knows.

Don't expect great service here because you won't find it. I don't think they need to provide good service as the restaurant is packed despite all the negative feedback on here. I would definitely go back, but only because of the food.

Mussels and Clams Special - holly moly this was HUGE and amazing (around $16-18) so insanely fresh and their home-made marinara sauce was on POINT!

Spaghetti Bolognese - super delicious, finally a pasta place that knows what al-dente means, I would like it if it had a bit richer red wine flavor (as that's how Nonna makes it) but the portion is huge, enough for 2 meals ($16?)

Spaghetti w/ Meatballs - Im not 100% positive but I believe they actually use the holy trinity of meats, the pasta was the same as above but the meatballs were so incredible and rich and gigantic! ($18)

Manicotti - You can tell its home made. It was baked to perfection, and like everything else here the portion was giant ($18)

Lasagna - Holly smokes they actually use ricotta cheese... HIGH 5 for Rosa!!! sooooo delicious my boyfriend orders this every single time!

Cheesecake - its an unbaked one so its very light and fluffy, definitely delicious and big enough to share.

SERVICE:

Sometimes its great, sometimes you are hunting down a server, but the food is so good its worth the risk.

CONS:

Their appy menu is tiny and boring, if they added some hot items other than a soup and prawns that would be great.

They give you free bread (awesome) but its ice cold, would be better if it was warm or toasted.

There are no reservations (which is also awesome) but this means you are waiting outside, in the COLD to be seated, I think they should get some portable heaters for those waiting outside in the fall and winter so people aren't idling in their cars.

And as dinner progressed, the table of 3 I was at had become quiet. Each of us was taking our first bite of the pasta dishes we ordered. I had the lasagna and was at first quite surprised by how much grease was floating on top. Was the meat not drained well, or perhaps the cheeses used were more oily? Anyway, it's nothing I'm used to - and I've eaten at some of the finest Italian restaurants in North America and in Italy. I'm not denying love went into the recipes, but it was poorly executed.

One dish was a seafood white sauce canneloni I believe. This did NOT disappoint the guest who ordered it, and he did take it home with him. I tried a bit and found it was acceptable in that the seafood was fresh, but the sauce didn't do it any favours... neither did the doughey, sticky pasta which was overcooked and starchy.

We were startled by the bill, which is why I gave the "Value" a "1 - Poor". There was no value here. It was a packed restaurant... maybe the lasagna just isn't the dish to get? Anyways, I've had much better for far less. The salad was wonderful but became one of the only positive things I can reflect on during our visit to Rosa's. Rosa's came highly recommended by a sales associate at a store nearby. If their bread was fresh and hot, as it should be from an Italian restaurant, I'd go back and have their salad if they're open for lunch I guess... but I'd need to check to see if I'd be able to afford it from this spot!